


Adjure

by BizLawGal



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Levi being coerced into a celebration, Levi hates Erwin on this particular December 25, Petra is given the privilege, it's basically Rivetra trying not to be all-mushy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26696113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BizLawGal/pseuds/BizLawGal
Summary: In a conjoined celebration in his own house, Levi and Petra find themselves asking a series of requests from each other.
Relationships: Levi/Petra Ral
Comments: 7
Kudos: 50





	Adjure

**Author's Note:**

  * For [avadescent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avadescent/gifts).



> Happy birthday, Ise! 
> 
> I love how we instantly clicked when we got to do more talking.  
> You're right; from our favored shippings (Noremma, Rivetra, Kacchako) to our preferred men (Levi, Norman, Bakugo), it's insanely incredible.  
> Wishing you nothing but the best because you're my person!

Levi had already resolved himself to his chambers for the entirety of the day.

Because it was just any other day, albeit strangely, it was the holiday where everyone was huddling together in circles, exchanging pleasantries and gifts, and drinking the most expensive liquors within the Trost District of Wall Rose.

In summation, it was a day to slack off for any member of the Survey Corps, and Levi, with his utmost aversion to anything filth-inducing or festive, had planned to start and end the day inside the four corners of his house — just like the previous years.

His self-isolated yearly plans were up in flames the moment Erwin decided to make his date of birth publicly known to the Survey Corps after the weekly announcement with his trusty megaphone of a voice on the platform, stating that Levi was more than happy to welcome everyone to his humble home for a joint celebration.

There was more than one way to irk him out of his expressionless, calm demeanor, and Erwin had deliberately pushed every single one of his self-destruction buttons in every turn.

Today, out of all the days, was not an exception.

Even though it was a day to celebrate his birthday that happened to coincide with the Christmas holiday, the scowl on his face prevented anyone from greeting him casually, only mutterings of _‘Happy Birthday, Captain’_ from those in passing or from Eren Yeager, the only boy with the guts of a thousand men, to do so. 

This came noticeably to one of his handpicked soldiers. Petra stared at him from a distance and began to shorten it through small steps, carrying a tray with a cup and a pot, steam wafting through the air. He preferred tea when he was distressed, and this situation undoubtedly called for it. 

“Captain,” she said, approaching his lone self on the table, placing the cup in front of him, and pouring the tea generously. “Commander Erwin and Captain Hanji are on their way with their men. As for Gunther, Oluo, and Eld, they are on their way back from their patrols.” 

“Great. More people, more casualties,” Levi said as he took a sip from the tea that was scalding enough to scorch his tongue; it was worth the endurance compared to the situation he was forced to put up with.

“Captain, it’s Christmas. It’s your birthday. And these are your guests. Please don’t call them _casualties_ ,” Petra voiced out in concern, and she was wondering if it’d be considered a miracle if he started welcoming guests with open arms in the near future.

“They will be if their shitty asses so much as set a foot on the stairs,” he growled, eyes glaring through the mess that some of new recruits had done in the far side of the living room. He barely knew them, only coming to know Eren and his posse.

She took a seat next to him, just a good amount of distance to relieve him of any paranoia that came with his obsession for cleanliness. And that included her, she presumed, even though they should’ve been past that by now. 

“If it wasn’t for Commander Erwin, everyone wouldn’t have known that your birthday coincided with the holiday. Would you have ever volunteered the information?”

“Absolutely not,” Levi scoffed, answering the question with much more frustration than he ever had to. It wasn’t that he didn’t want anyone to know he shared his date of birth with the father of Christmas. 

It was simply because he didn’t care; with a rough childhood, it was hard to be excited over anything considered to be festive.

Petra settled for a gloomy pout, and though Oluo found this regrettably adorable, it seemed to had no effect on their captain. “Did you not want to celebrate your birthday with everyone that badly, Captain?”

“And have them rampaging here when I had just fucking sanitized my house, Ral? They’re already at it. Look at the mess these brats made.” He made a sound that was more of a hiss than a groan, yet Petra’s lips twitched upwards, nonetheless. 

His eyes motioned to the ruckus that was taking place — excessive chattering, boisterous laughing, and less-than-decent befouling of his own home — and he swore he’d never hated Erwin as much as he did at that moment.

“It’s enough as it is that you know the information. The rest of the population can live out their entire lives not knowing it.”

“I just happen to know the information because you gave me enough privilege to know it,” Petra reiterated through a lopsided, proud grin. 

“You call being my fiancée a privilege?” he snorted, words not even stunting when referencing himself like a prize.

“Every waking moment,” she said with that reassuring smile that always convinced him that she would certainly do _anything_ and _everything_ for him alone.

He breathed out a concerning sigh. “As much as I appreciate your relentless devotion, you’re going to have to drop the _Captain_ at some point, Petra. I won’t solely be your Captain.”

“If you’re asking me to step down your Special Operations Squad after marriage, then I’m not doing it. You do know that _‘until death do us part’_ applies to that,” Petra insisted, eyes accusingly narrowed at him, already feeling the subtle mortification of being asked to stay on the sidelines. Marriage came with drawbacks, she knew that, yet she was hoping her husband-to-be wouldn’t have the same standpoint.

Levi held the handle of his teacup loosely, two fingers barely curling around the handle of the half-empty cup that canted at an angle, followed by a look of indifference. He knew the risks that came with being a member of the Survey Corps and marriage wasn’t going to change that. He would never ask her to give up something that had become integral to both of their lives.

“I was merely talking about your use of the word _Captain_ to call me out. Is that how you’ll still call me after the wedding?”

She briefly pondered the question. “Then what should I call you?”

In one drink, he finished the remaining liquid content of his cup, an expression playing between frustration or distinct disbelief. “I have a name. Use it.”

“Really?” She pressed on, fingers intertwining with anticipation and glee. “You’re permitting me to address you without the _Captain_? I mean — when we’re not doing our tasks as members of the Survey Corps, of course.”

“Sums it up,” he plainly retorted, eyes admonishing how Eren, in the background, accidentally spilled his plate full of food on his thoroughly-scrubbed floor, not that it was any cleaner from the soles of the shoes of his uninvited guests from earlier. 

“Oi, twit,” he called out, startling the boy under his responsibility on his feet, “clean that up now. That’s an order.”

“Yes, sir!” Eren immediately quipped, with Armin bending down to help him pick up the tidbits of his soiled celebratory food.

“Ease up on the boy —” Petra gently chastised and mustered the guts to address him as casually as she could, with eyes closing for the impact and mouth whispering for the delivery “— Levi?”

His usual scrunched-up face subtly lightened and angled to meet hers, eyes rounding in unexpected shock and eyebrows slightly elevated compared to its neutral, frowned line. Not in the usual way anyone would automatically see the difference, but it was enough of an indication to her that it was a sight to see. 

He swallowed roughly, averting his gaze downward to meet the teacup in his hand. A second longer, his face harbored the same taciturn, impassive expression that always wrinkled the spaces between his brows once again.

“That’ll do,” he assured, and Petra could vaguely detect a suppressed smile in his nonchalance.

The way she addressed him came out more of a question than a casualty. She felt like her heart was jumping up to her throat, unsaid words were ricocheting at the back of her tongue, and a gleam of something entirely too astounding for her hearing flashed through her eyes. 

Working under Levi Ackerman’s leadership was everything she ever wanted and more. Her only goal was to solely devote her life serving him, not minding that this subtle admiration would course into a deeper attachment — a different form of devotion.

When she had come to realize it, she went astray for a while until he managed to pull her back, and as the famous saying went, no one knew how things would turn out.

And Levi, with his keen perceptiveness, knew her deep-seated feelings all along and reciprocated it without batting an eye, a reaction she expected nonetheless from him.

It was on one of the expeditions outside of the wall when Levi popped the question as they were maneuvering through their omnidirectional gears deep within the Titan Forest, catching Petra off-guard and almost endangering her life until Levi swooped in to save her. By doing the finishing blow on one of the Abnormals pursuing them, she gave him her heartfelt answer.

“Don’t start going all sentimental on me, Ral,” Levi intoned, exasperation rising as he adjusted his seat feeling utterly overwhelmed himself. “I’m betting that you want to invite as many as you can, but for my sake, I hope they’re at least well-mannered than what they’re doing to our home now. Or at least wouldn’t mess up the reception with their filth.”

She went blank, only registering one of the last things he said. “Our home?”

A questioning look echoed on his face. “Do you have somewhere in mind?”

“Ah, no! This home — our home! It’s good. I’d like to live here with you after the wedding. My parents would be happy to know that,” she smiled at the thought. Her parents were heavily concerned about her getting married early. After explaining that this was what she wanted and that she was genuinely happy, they let her be.

An idea popped in her head, and it was something that she had to ask permission from him if he was comfortable doing so. “Should we start telling them?”

“Don’t invite Erwin. He doesn’t get the rights after making our house a holiday venue,” he prompted, breath carrying the words low and perilous.

She couldn’t stop the excitement from sparkling out of her eyes this time. “We’re doing it? The invitations, I mean.”

Levi’s whole demeanor shifted, comfortably resting one foot over the thigh of the other. “Go ahead. It’s the best course of action. Word-of-mouth will send most of them gatecrashing. And no more celebrations like this next year.”

“I still want to celebrate Christmas and your birthday,” she pointed out, tapping her fingers against the hardwood table, staring, or better yet, pleading through her eyes that he wouldn’t cross it off forever. “We can just do it together if you displease this kind of crowd that much. Let's try that out first.”

She eyed him tensely, yet loosened when the idea didn’t vex him. At least that was what she inferred from the usual frown that plastered on his face that never withered, night and day. 

Levi considered her words with a frown, and within seconds, he already made up his mind as he would do with every necessary action on the battlefield. 

Standing up, he gave her a sidelong glance, and she was starting to panic if it was even a good idea to push him to celebrate events he didn’t even want to partake in. “If it’s only the two of us, then that’s good enough for me.”

She let out a sigh of relief — his expressions were still a lot of getting used to. 

Petra smiled triumphantly, giving him a salute, and promptly standing up to meet his gaze and said, “Yes, sir!” 

He silently acknowledged the gesture and dragged his eyes from hers to the sounds of commotion currently taking place in _their_ kitchen. Turning his back on her, he stealthily made his way when she called out.

“Where are you going?”

With one hand resting idly in his pocket, he answered dryly. “To have some fun. It’s my birthday after all. If Erwin comes, tell him he can eat outside.”

If his definition of having fun was reprimanding members to their cores and making their Commander pay for the inconvenience out in the open, she’d let him have all the fun out of it.

“Which reminds me —”

She whipped her head to face him, full attention as always.

“— aside from my name, you better get used to being called Ackerman from now on.”

She stood stiffly, her head tilting to one side as she watched him, completely enraptured. “Is that an order?”

Levi didn’t miss how her lips were itching to smile from the exchange. He ran his free hand along the cotton fabric surface of his cravat, a smile visibly playing at his lips through his jutted chin, causing her to flimsily fail in hiding the erupting grin on hers.

“It is now,” he said as he broke eye contact, making his way to the buffoons in the kitchen who didn’t know what was coming their way. 

She vaguely heard his incoherent scolding and the new recruits' audible chants of _‘I’m sorry, sir!’_ and _‘Yes, Captain!’_ from where she was rooted, mindlessly thinking that she’d never get enough of his sternness to everything. 

His words before leaving sounded more of a commitment between paired equals than a command between captain and subordinate. 

Maybe after the wedding, she’d do her fair share of commanding, too.


End file.
